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September 20, 2011

The Story of Ayatollah Hossein Boroujerdi

Levantinetimes:
Given that it has been a mullahcracy for the last 32 years, the concepts of separation
of mosque and state let alone religious tolerance, are the last things that
come to mind when one thinks about Iran. It has proven to be a place where even
those within the political establishment who
dare to dissent are suppressed or jailed. Many do who in fact speak out
against the government, still do not speak of Iran getting rid of its
theopolitical structure altogether. Yet there is one such dissenter who has and
continues to speak out from behind prison walls, and ironically enough, he is a
Twelver
Shiite cleric, who comes from the same school of Islam as
President Ahmadinejad and his spiritual advisor Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi, who has issued a
fatwa calling for the murder of opposition leader Mir-Hossein Mousavi following the 2009 Iranian presidential elections.

Ayatollah Hossein Boroujerdi first expressed his
opinion openly in 1994, that religion be taken out of the political
arena in Iran, stating that:"Iranians believe
that they are loyal to the fundamentals of the true religion and the Prophet's
mission, but they are opposed to the politicization of religion and its
exploitation by a group that has nothing to do with true Islam. Islam is
the religion of tolerance, forbearance, and mercy, to the point where [the
Qur'an] emphasized to us that 'there is no compulsion in religion." After
having been sentenced to 11 years of exile in
the city of Yazd in 2007 for "waging war against
God", Boroujerdi
continued to back up his sentiments by offering Hanukkah and
Christmas greetings
to Jews and Christians alike from inside his cell.

An even bigger irony is that Ahmadinejad, Yazdi, and others
like themwish to bring about the coming of an Islamic
version of the messiah, namely the Mahdi or the Hidden Imam, via the death of
millions of Jews, Palestinians, and anyone else who happens to be within range
of a nuclear fallout. Yet, Boroujerdi's message and ideas seem to be more akin
to the Jewish version of the messiah, when all the
nations will be united not via the sword, but the knowledge and understanding
of a creator. In a time when a lot of what we hear from the Muslim world
is aspirations of empire, conquering, and subjugation of non-Muslims, those
like Ayatollah Boroujerdi are a breath of fresh air.

In this video shortly before his imprisonment, Boroujerdi leads a night time
protest: